Bitterroot, James Lee Burke
Bitterroot, James Lee Burke
34 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Bitterroot

Author: James Lee Burke

Narrator: Will Patton

Abridged: 5 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/01/2001


Synopsis

Following his acclaimed bestseller Purple Cane Road, James Lee Burke returns with this gripping tale of justice and danger as Billy Bob Holland battles his tormented past and a vengeful foe.

Set in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, home to celebrities seeking to escape the pressures of public life, as well as to xenophobes dedicated to establishing a bulkhead of patriotic paranoia, Burke’s novel features Billy Bob Holland, former Texas Ranger and now a Texas-based lawyer, who has come to Big Sky Country for some fishing and ends up helping out an old friend in trouble.

And big trouble it is, not just for his friend but for Billy Bob himself—in the form of Wyatt Dixon, a recent prison parolee sworn to kill Billy Bob as revenge for both his imprisonment and his sister's death, both of which he blames on the former Texas lawman. As the mysteries multiply and the body count mounts, the reader is drawn deeper into the tortured mind of Billy Bob Holland, a complex hero tormented by the mistakes of his past and driven to make things—all things—right. But beneath the guise of justice for the weak and downtrodden lies a tendency for violence that at times becomes more terrifying than the danger he is trying to eradicate.

As USA TODAY noted in discussing the parallels between Billy Bob Holland and Burke’s other popular series hero, David Robicheaux, “Robicheaux and Holland are two of a kind, white-hat heroes whose essential goodness doesn’t keep them from fighting back. The two series describe different landscapes, but one theme remains constant: the inner conflict when upright men are provoked into violence in defense of hearth, home, women, and children. There are plenty of parallels. Billy Bob is an ex-Texas Ranger; Dave is an ex-New Orleans cop. Dave battles alcoholism and the ghosts of Vietnam; Billy Bob actually sees ghosts, including the Ranger he accidentally gunned down....But most of all, both protagonists hold a vision of a pure and simple life.”

In Bitterroot, with its rugged and vivid setting, its intricate plot, and a set of remarkable, unforgettable characters, and crafted with the lyrical prose and the elegiac tone that have inspired many critics to compare him to William Faulkner, James Lee Burke has written a thriller destined to surpass the success of his previous novels.

About James Lee Burke

American mystery author, James Lee Burke, was born in Houston, Texas, explaining why most of the lead characters in his novels are Texan. He has won two Edgar awards, which is a very rare experience, and is a bestselling author of two short story collections and over thirty novels. Burke is best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. His Edgar Awards were for Black Cherry and Cimarron Rose. Two of his series were made into screen plays with each movie having a-list actors playing the Robicheaux character (Alec Baldwin - Heaven's Prisoners, and Tommy Lee Jones- In the Electric Mist).

A writer must usually hold down other employment while they attempt to gain a degree of following readers. Burke's various jobs included.......truck driver, newspaper reporter, social worker, land surveyor, unemployment system employee, Job Corps worker, teacher, and finally, novelist.

Burke lives in Montana with his wife, Pearl, two daughters, and four grandchildren. His favorite advice was given by Irving Stone, when Burke was nineteen.......... "Never write a story to pay your gas bill......if you do, be assured your utilities will be turned off".


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rob on November 25, 2018

What’s not to like about James Lee Burke. Like C.J. Box – “go-to” authors when you’re not ready to tackle a heavy non-fiction – Burke’s stories are always fascinating reads, each sentence carved in stone, demanding your attention. A preeminent western writer, Burke’s a wonderful story teller, and th......more

Goodreads review by Lee on February 10, 2015

Fun, smooth, and deep.......more

Goodreads review by Donna on May 23, 2013

This was a pretty good book. I suppose in giving it four stars, I am unfairly comparing Burke to himself rather than to other writers, at least to a degree. Here's the issue: most writers who keep a series going have trouble adding another and keeping it distinct; the only two situations where I've s......more

Goodreads review by Robert on April 10, 2019

In the late 90's I was hooked on the novels of James Lee Burke, particularly the ones featuring his best-known creation Dave Robicheaux. The last one I read was Cadillac Jukebox and that was ages ago, so when I went into 2nd and Charles a few weeks ago looking for a few guaranteed page-turners to pi......more

Goodreads review by Jan on March 25, 2015

Admitting that I stayed up until 3:30 a.m. just because I wanted to find out what would happen next probably gives you an idea of how I feel about this enthralling book. Compelling and engaging characters, exciting and plausible stories, and the ongoing analysis of everyone's motives by the flawed Bi......more